Fire Sale (1977)

Benny and his wife Ruthie a getting set to drive down to Florida, but Benny needs someone to look after his store while he's gone. Though he doesn't think much of him, Benny hands the ... See full summary »

Director:

Alan Arkin

Writers:

Robert Klane (screenplay), Robert Klane (novel)

Stars:

Alan Arkin, Rob Reiner, Vincent Gardenia

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alan Arkin	...	Ezra Fikus
Rob Reiner	...	Russel Fikus
Vincent Gardenia	...	Benny Fikus
Anjanette Comer	...	Marion Fikus
Kay Medford	...	Ruth Fikus
Barbara Dana	...	Virginia
Sid Caesar	...	Sherman
Alex Rocco	...	Al
Byron Stewart	...	Captain
Oliver Clark	...	Mr. Blossom
William Bogert	...	Insurance Doctor (as Bill Bogert)
Richard Libertini	...	Painter
MacIntyre Dixon	...	Painter
John Batiste	...	M.D. #1
Augusta Dabney	...	Mrs. Cooper

Storyline

Benny and his wife Ruthie a getting set to drive down to Florida, but Benny needs someone to look after his store while he's gone. Though he doesn't think much of him, Benny hands the responsibility over to his son, Russel. While Russel doesn't get much respect from his parents, he's better off than his brother, Ezra, whom Benny has gone so far as to disown. Ezra is currently battling with his work (coach of a high school basketball team that hasn't won in ages) and his wife (who keeps nagging him that she wants to have a baby as soon as possible) at the same time.

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Plot Keywords:

based on novel

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Taglines:

The Fikus Family: They're Not Roasted. They're Not Salted. They're Just Plain Nuts.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 January 1978 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Det bränns farsan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Ezra Fikus: How would you like your name to be Booker T. Fikus?

User Reviews

Better than 99% of what passes for "comedy" these days

Four stars? - give me a break!

I was thrilled and amused when I saw this as a kid - so many unconventional scenes, so many people who don't behave ...

Alright this is not that entertaining for people of today who have lost any attention span. And it's not as brilliantly made as "Where's Poppa?", also written by Robert Klane, but it does have its moments, i.e. most scenes that Arkin and Gardenia are in. Reiner is pretty inept here as usual, though. Kay Medford is very good as a Mother out of touch with reality. A good cast in general.

Some scenes lack a better execution but on the whole this is an original idea that has several subplots which are nicely tied up. Greed, ineptness, dysfunctional families, madness and irritation manifest themselves in many different ways.

Most locations are pretty "awful" by today's viewing habits but that is the exact charm of this movie as opposed to all the slick and sterile over-produced forgettable comedies of today. The settings make this movie look "real" and might tend to make people uneasy about the story because it seems people don't really get their way - no matter how they try. That makes for good comedy because this is how life is when you constantly overreach: You make a fool of yourself.

The main problem with this seems to be that the ideas are funny but better production and direction would not have hurt. This could very well be remade but I doubt people today want to see anyone on the screen who is over 40 years old... And that is pathetic.